Coin-controlled mechanism



Mar. 27, 1923.

1,449,853 A. DAVIS.

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM Filed July 17, 1920 2: A INVENTOB. BY

- ATTO NEY Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

AueUs'rINEnAvIs, or JAMArcA; NEW Yoax-nssrenoia, BY Mnsivrz ASSIGNMENTS,

T0 nAvIs AUTOMATIC EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, or 'NEWYORK, n. Y-.,' A coaro- RATION OF NEW YORK.

oonv-con'raorrnn MECHANISM.

Application filed'July 17, 1920. Serial No. 396,892.

T 0 (4H whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTINE DAvIs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jamaica, Long Island, in the county of Queens, and cityqand State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coin-Controlled Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The invention is an improvement in comcontrolled mechanism, more especially coincontrolled locks, and has to do with a construction in which a member or detent is displaced by the projecting edge of a coincarried fiatwlse by a rotary COl1'1-II1OV6I.'

The object of the invention is to insure against coins, particularly when thin, becoming wedged between the cooperating parts, and to avoid wear upon the edges thereof, which in time would tend to cause such result. To this end the cooperating coincontacting regions are concavecl or undercut so that when thrust is exerted through the coin its edges are always opposed by solid metal and. drawn away from the sides of the contacts.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the lock, in the unlocked condition, with the cover of the coin-disk casing removed, and showing a coin in position to displace the detent;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, corresponding to Fig. 1, with the cover in place; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The particular coin-controlled lock mechanism in which the invention is shown embodied is the invention of another, and is not claimed per se herein. Briefly described, a pivoted bolt 8 is urged by a spring 17 and is normally restrained by a pivoted detent, having a spring 24. The arm 26 of the detent extends into proximity to the periphery of a rotary coin-disk 30, whereon the coin is held flat, that is to say, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Said disk rotates within a cup 35 having a detachable cover 41-, the cup and cover together forming a casing, which is peripherally open at the proper regions for entrance and exit of the coin and the cooperation therewith of the detent. The disk is turned by a knob (not shown) on the front of the plate 1, and receives the coin from a coin-drop or chute 29 at one side of the arm 26. The detent disengaged from the spring bolt by ithe' thrustof a coin a carried by the disk, retraction ofthe bolt being eifectedby' a key, through a key cylinder 4 and bit 14. y The contact extremity 27 of the detent arm 26 is formed to pass between side guides 40 andelt, of which the member 40, in the particular construction illustrated, is formed by an outturned marginal flange on the cup 35, while the other guide is constituted by the marginal region of the cover, said cover region preferably having a rib or narrow bearing 4L1 pressed in therefrom to cooperate with the side of the displaceable coin contact element 27 7 Approximately one half 32 ofthe face of the disk is elevated and the other half de-. pressed, by an amount preferably slightly greater than the thickness of the intended coin; and the intervening shoulder is incurved or recessed at one side of the center, as shown at 61, to form the back of a coin pocket 31. It is this shoulder which carries the coin forward and exerts thrust upon one portion of its edge, causing another portion of such edge to thrust against the extremity 27 of the member to be actuated, in this instance the detent. The disk and pocket are of such proportions that the edge of the'coin projects beyond the periphery of the disk, between the side guides 40 and 41 The mechanism is simple and positive in operation, but would be capable of being seriously deranged should the forward edge of the coin be driven past the side of the extremity 27, between the same and one of ofthis character it is desirable to have the clearances fairly free, and due to ordinary variations in manufacture they wlll be somewhat greater in some cases than in others;

but even if substantial accuracy were observed the possibility of faulty operation would not be entirely removed.

its

The purpose of the invention is to guard 1 against this danger in a simple and eflective .manner: The improvement comprises primarily the formation of the end face 62 of the extremity 27, which as shown is transversely hollowed, so that the coacting edge of the coin is centralized. Thus, the pressure is never upon the extreme sides or lateral edges of the member, so that wear cannot occur at these regions to develop a Wedging entra-ncefor the coin between the member and one or other of the side guides. Secondly, the shoulder 61, where it bears upon the coin, is undercut as seen particularly in Fig. 3, on a curve or inclination, so that the forward pressure on the coin when the resistance of the detent member is encountered causes this portion of the coin edge to hug the depressed face of the disk. By these means relative edgewise displacement of the coin at either region is prevented; and it also becomes possible to allow more Width in the coin passage around the axis or" the disk, so that the mechanism 

